Russia has stepped up recruitment of foreign mercenaries – AFU

"One out of a thousand is captured, and they are lucky because they saved their lives. They can only be convicted on the fact that they are mercenaries, because it is illegal. But until such trials take place, they are held as prisoners of war."

A Ukrainian court can convict mercenaries, but Russia does not demand their exchange. Their release will depend on the process of negotiations with the countries they came from.

Five Nepalese citizens and recruits from Cuba, Sierra Leone, and Somalia participated in the conference.

One of the Nepalese prisoners said that there were 17 recruits, two from Cameroon and five Cubans, in his unit.

Almost all of the mercenaries did not expect to be sent to the front line as they were not trained to fight and did not speak the language. They were assured that they would work in logistics and field hospitals.

Foreigners were contracted for one year, with an average of $2,000 per month. Some of them came on a tourist visa and thought they would work in construction; others were promised a job in Russia, but had to enlist in the army.

Yatsenko said that Russia offers mercenaries a lot of money, "but in fact, they are very cheap because there is a nuance: the life of such an infantryman is not even days, but hours."

Russia has recruited 15,000 Nepalese residents to its army after the government announced in 2023 favorable conditions of service for foreign fighters who would join the ranks.